Summary

In 1963, when Jeanne and Stuart Altmann arrived in Kenya, Jeanne could not have imagined immersing herself in the world of baboons. But her Kenya experience kindled an interest in the animals. In 1971, the Altmanns returned to Amboseli and launched what became a long-term study of a baboon troop called Alto's Group; then, in 1974, Jeanne published a methodological study that set the standards for behavioral observations. According to one behavioral ecologist, that paper may be the most cited in animal behavior. Since then, the Altmanns and the Amboseli Baboon Research Project's other staff members have made important discoveries in the field. Four decades later, the project—the world's longest running baboon study—is still thriving.